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Topic: Microphone voltages (Read 673 times)

I recorded a show a couple of days ago with my MM version Sennheiser MKE2 omnis. They ran into a Naiant Pipsqueak, low gain, Sony M10, level set to 4, peaking around -6bd.It was a loud show, with thumping kick drum and bass. The low end is distorting. I can roll off the low frequencies in Soundforge, but it doesn't help much. The mids & highs are fine.I measured the voltage from the Pipsqueak & it's 2.5v. The spec sheet for these capsules shows a max spl of 142 db. It was loud but maybe not that loud. Also the operating voltage is listed at 7.5v.I have not had any issues with this set up at quieter shows with less thump, so is the 2.5v from the Pipsqueak too low for the mics to handle hi spls?

I also have a Sound Pros battery box, this puts out 6v. Should I use this to power these mics at loud shows and just go line in - I won't need a pre to get a decent level if it's loud.

Second part. I also have the Sound pro AT853. These are three wire. I have an adapter on the Pipsqueak so I can run these three wire. Is the 2.5v sufficient for these mics at high levels? I also have a home brew three wire battery box, using the circuit posted here a while ago with a 9v battery. With this higher voltage be better for loud shows with these mics.? Also could I feed the 3.5m jack from the bb into the 3.5m input on the Pipsqueak to boost the levels, or is there issue with the Pipsqueak still delivering a bias voltage into the bb?